Hydra: a pilgrimage to Leonard Cohen’s Greek island retreat

"Head to the port – there are no street names on the island – and you’ll find Roloi, Cohen’s old favourite, under the clock tower in the harbour, which is a great place to stop for an ouzo. The Pirate Bar, also in the port, used to be called O Peiratis and was another haunt of Cohen’s and his friends, and it’s still very popular – chic but not too exclusive. For cocktails, while you’re watching the sunset, the bars along the cliff are the place to go for sea views, which are always more dramatic out of season.

The colder weather feels more atmospheric and romantic, and it is easier to imagine how it used to be when Cohen bought his home here, a few days past his 26th birthday. The older bohemians may have all but disappeared yet the island is still delightfully out of time, isolated from the rest of the world. It is car free and mules do a lot of the carrying.

Cohen’s description of life here, now a famous quote in Greece, still feels relevant: “There is nowhere in the world where you can live like you can in Hydra, and that includes Hydra.”"

read the article by Yannis Baboulias

Hydra: a pilgrimage to Leonard Cohen’s Greek island retreat | Travel | The Guardian